http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/spending/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:35:46 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418173/posts HONOLULU (AP) -- President Barack Obama has rejected his first piece of legislation from Congress, a stopgap spending bill that never had to take effect. The White House on Wednesday said Obama exercised his right to send back to the Capitol a temporary appropriations bill that lawmakers passed in case a winter storm about two weeks ago would have prevented them from approving a final measure to fund the Pentagon next year. The Dec. 19 blizzard didn't keep them away from the Capitol and they approved the $626 billion defense spending bill before the previous budget expired. The White House... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418173/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 05:35:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415509/posts "Obama Shatters Spending Record in his First Year as President" November 25, 2009 Fox News President Obama has shattered the budget record for first-year presidents — spending nearly double what his predecessor did when he came into office and far exceeding the first-year tabs for any other U.S. president in history.... http://www.ktradionetwork.com/2009/11/25/obama-shatters-spending-record-in-his-first-year-as-president/ ktradionetwork.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2415509/posts#comment Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:39:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414546/posts In nearly its final act of the year, the US Senate on Thursday approved a $290 billion increase in the nation's borrowing limit, a move that sets up a contentious debate about the federal government's largesse early in 2010. The additional $290 billion in borrowing ability lifts the total public debt the federal government can hold to around $12.4 trillion and will allow the government to keep borrowing through February. The House passed the measure last week. The Senate vote was 60-39, and was almost exclusively along party lines. Generally a vote on raising the debt limit requires only a... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414546/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:18:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414519/posts Sometimes in life there are just no words available to explain certain events, certain people or certain emotions. That is how I felt this week when I saw President Barack Obama make the comments shown in the video below. He incredulously states the following: “We can’t continue to spend as if deficits don’t have consequences, as if waste doesn’t matter, as if the hard-earned tax dollars of the American people can be treated like Monopoly money.” Since I cannot fully express my outrage at perhaps the most hypocritical words ever uttered by a president of this great nation, I will... Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414519/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:29:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412491/posts President Obama said Monday that federal agencies will cut roughly $19 billion from government contracts this fiscal year, putting them on track to meet his goal of trimming $40 billion in fiscal 2011. "Business as usual in Washington just wont do," he said during a White House press conference in which he also recognized a federal employee for her winning cost-cutting idea. "After years of irresponsibility, we are once again taking responsibility for every dollar we spend, the same way families do." The administration wants to reach its $40 billion goal by improving the management and oversight of contracts and... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412491/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:30:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412236/posts In the panic following the insolvencies of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Lehman Brothers in September 2008, the American taxpayer was stampeded into bailing out Wall Street by acquiescing to Washington's $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) in order to prevent the collapse of our financial system. American International Group Inc. was at the center of the storm with its $1.5 trillion book of credit default swaps (CDS). Inexplicably, after passage, TARP was directed at banks rather than troubled assets - almost like a bait-and-switch plan. Now, a little more than a year later, TARP inspector Neil M. Barofsky... Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412236/posts#comment Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:31:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411530/posts Rule By Outlaws, Spending Insanity, The Second Wave, Dreamliner Lessons and More! by Addison Wiggin & Ian Mathias * Treasury bends laws on maximum debt, dodges bullet with “extraordinary accounting tools” * Mind-boggling government spending rundown: $1.8 trillion approved in 24 hours * Why the second wave of the housing bust might crash ashore ahead of schedule * Byron King with lessons from the Dreamliner launch for the everyday investor * A reader asks, “Enough criticism, what would you do?” Our response, below Technically speaking, the U.S. government is now illegitimate. Not in the way most people use that word…... Agora Financial http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2411530/posts#comment Sun, 20 Dec 2009 05:08:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2411045/posts From the very beginning of the Obama presidency Democrats have been acting like kids in a candy store - doubling down on the TARP bailout and the $787 billion stimulus/slush fund. The most recent 1.1 trillion spending bill and now the health care bill which, with a little accounting sleight-of-hand, comes in at under one trillion, the Democrats are spending like there are no more tomorrows. What will be the results of all of this out of control spending? The consequences will be many but one of the most surprising results could be the end of liberalism. At least that's... The American Thinker Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2411045/posts#comment Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:34:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409536/posts Business as usual in Washington: So much for "Hope and Change", just control and more debt. During the first presidential debate Senator John McCain and then Senator Barack Obama argued over the earmark issue, and Obama pledged, "Absolutely, we need earmark reform. And when I'm president, I will go line by line to make sure that we are not spending money unwisely." Hold your applause please; I'm just getting started! BlogCritics in Politics http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409536/posts#comment Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:51:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409059/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - The House on Wednesday passed legislation giving the federal government the ability to borrow a whopping $290 billion to finance its operations for just six additional weeks. The 218-214 vote sends the must-pass bill to the Senate, which is expected to approve it as its last act before adjourning for the year. The alternative would be a market-rattling, first-ever default on U.S. obligations. The measure is needed as a result of the out-of-control budget deficit, which registered $1.4 trillion for the budget year that ended in September. The current debt ceiling is $12.1 trillion and is set... breitbard\t http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2409059/posts#comment Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408057/posts If last Christmas season was a disaster for retailers, 2009 looks like the Titanic. Gallup reports that its survey of consumers shows holiday spending down 20% or more each of the last three weeks from the previous year. Its job survey continues to show no improvement over 2008, either: Self-reported consumer spending was down more than 20% in each of the last three weeks from last year’s depressed weekly comparables. At the same time, Gallup’s Economic Confidence and Job Creation Indexes were essentially unchanged. … Gallup’s attitudinal economic data suggest that the Main Street economy continues to lack a lot... Hotair http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408057/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:05:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408000/posts On Sunday President Obama's top economic adviser, Larry Summers, said the "recession is over." But in the next breath he called for more government action to stimulate the economy, in particular the pace of hiring. As far as the administration is concerned, it is government stimulus that brought us this recovery. Now it seems to think it's just a matter of piling on even more government spending to generate job growth. In one sense we agree completely with Summers. The recession is over. In fact, the economy has been growing since June. This came as no surprise to us. "An... Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2408000/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:35:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407641/posts Late this December, the Unites States Treasury will reach the $12.1 trillion statutory ceiling on the national debt. It will mark the 91st time Congress has had to raise the debt limit since the original $43 billion ceiling was established in 1940. Many on the left argue that the United States federal government can borrow and spend as much money as it wants, and that any concerns about what it might cost us in the future are just a Phantom Menace. But as the chart to the right shows, we are already paying a hefty sum in monthly interest payments... The Heritage Foundation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407641/posts#comment Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:44:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407035/posts WASHINGTON — The Senate today passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill with increased budgets for vast areas of the federal government, including health, education, law enforcement and veterans' programs. The more-than-1,000-page package, one of the last essential chores of Congress this year, passed 57-35 and now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature. The weekend action underlined the legislative crush faced by Congress as it tries to wind up the year. After the vote, the Senate immediately returned to the debate on health care legislation that has consumed its time and energy for weeks. Senate Democrats hope to reach... NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407035/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:26:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406452/posts ...I can’t decide if Obama is the biggest fool in history or the biggest liar in history. He seems to believe all of the ridiculous statements he uses in his speeches - or is it that he reads the teleprompter so well that he thinks we will believe he is sincere? He frequently uses conservative sounding phrases, and later follows them with contradictory socialist statements that marginalize or compromise what he previously said. He is a better double-talker than John Kerry was, but no more believable... CFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406452/posts#comment Sun, 13 Dec 2009 05:15:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406173/posts U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards has secured several million dollars in federal funding for local projects, including $12.2 million for a new headquarters building for an Army brigade based in Bryan, his office announced this week. ...... The House passed the 2010 appropriations bill 221-202 Thursday, receiving no support from Republicans. A Senate vote is expected over the weekend. Edwards' office said it is expected to pass.....These are "projects that come from local leaders, mayors and sheriffs and research universities in our district," said Josh Taylor, an Edwards spokesman. "As such, these are investments that have a positive impact on the... The Bryan College Station Eagle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406173/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:14:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406127/posts NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Better-than-expected reports on retail sales and consumer sentiment lifted big blue chip stocks Friday, but gains were limited by weakness in technology and the strength of the U.S. dollar. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) rose 66 points, or 0.6%, to finish at its highest level of 2009. The S&P 500 index (SPX) gained 4 points, or 0.4%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) ended little changed. The Dow and the S&P ended the week higher, but the Nasdaq slipped. Big consumer stocks Coca-Cola (KO, Fortune 500), McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) and Walt Disney (DIS, Fortune 500) were... CNN Money http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406127/posts#comment Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:49:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405440/posts Need a job ? Go to Washington DC. The increase in government jobs—courtesy of stimulus planning and spending—is turning Washington, D.C., into a boomtown. Scan the national horizon and it's hard to find many cities with a robust job market. In Los Angeles, unemployment sits just under 13 percent; in Detroit, it's at 17 percent; and in Houston, it's at 10.3 percent. There is, however, one exception: Washington, D.C. A boom in government jobs, courtesy of stimulus spending and the city's ability to hunker down during tough times, has kept the unemployment rate for the area (which includes D.C., Northern... Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2405440/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:10:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2405103/posts House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) called for an end to Washington’s unprecedented borrowing and spending binge during floor remarks today opposing Democrats’ 2,500-page omnibus spending bill. Noting that “America is broke,” Boehner challenged President Obama to go through the measure, which contains more than 5,000 earmarks, “line-by-line and page-by-page” as he promised the American people he would. Following are VIDEO and the full text of Boehner’s remarks... THE FREEDOM POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2405103/posts#comment Fri, 11 Dec 2009 02:56:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2404377/posts Obama's Debt CrisisHow much is the National Debt costing America?It’s interesting to note that the total interest paid on the National Debt since 1988 has been $7,393 billion (that’s $7.4 trillion). That’s a lot of money being wasted by politicians in Washington, D.C. and there are not enough people talking about it. There is an even more deafening silence regarding what the cost will be over the next 10 years. The United States will pay almost as much interest as it did over the last 20 years in just the next 10. And no one in Washington is addressing the... Natural Born Conservative http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2404377/posts#comment Thu, 10 Dec 2009 07:28:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403829/posts President Barack Obama is spending almost $600 million to build community health centers and to make medical records easier to find. The White House on Wednesday painted the spending -- part of the $787 billion stimulus bill the president championed during his first days in office -- as a way to add jobs to a struggling economy. Officials also linked it to the administration's broader push for an overhaul of the nation's health systems that remains unfinished in Congress. CNS News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403829/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 17:32:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403563/posts WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama outlined major new government stimulus and jobs proposals on Tuesday, saying the nation must continue to “spend our way out of this recession.” Without giving a price tag, Obama proposed a package of new spending for highway, bridge and other infrastructure projects, deeper tax breaks for small businesses and tax incentives to encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient. “We avoided the depression many feared,” Obama said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. But, he added, “Our work is far from done.” NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403563/posts#comment Wed, 9 Dec 2009 11:08:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403189/posts WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama called for a major new burst of federal spending Tuesday, aiming to jolt the wobbly economy into a stronger recovery and reduce painfully persistent double-digit unemployment. Despite Republican criticism concerning record federal deficits, Obama said the U.S. must continue to "spend our way out of this recession" as long as so many people are out of work. More than 7 million Americans have lost their jobs since the recession began two years ago, and the jobless rate stands at 10 percent, a statistic Obama called "staggering." http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403189/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 22:08:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403152/posts December 8, 2009 Dear Senator Kerry, I have always wanted to receive just such a mailing as I did from you today in support for the Democratic Party and President Obama. So let me begin by thanking you for this opportunity to express myself to you. What you, President Obama, and your Democratic cohorts have done to this nation in the short time you have tried to exploit your filibuster proof majority is nothing short of an atrocity against the American people. To your everlasting shame you have seized the opportunity to spend money that we don’t have and money... Anon http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2403152/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 21:23:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2399911/posts (VIDEO): The national debt has gotten to be so gargantuan that it's hard to wrap your head around it. Once you get up in the hundreds of billions and trillions, it becomes so unfathomable that it's easier to avoid the topic than it is to deal with the anxiety, fear, and uncertainty that the numbers bring. This very brief video (see below) makes understanding the national debt much easier to grasp... THE FREEDOM POST http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2399911/posts#comment Fri, 4 Dec 2009 03:40:01 GMT